Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has announced the next round of the Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship Program (PGP). Starting July 28, 2025, IRCC will issue 17,860 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) over a two-week period. From these, the department will accept up to 10,000 complete applications for permanent residence under the Family Class sponsorship category.

This intake is not open to new sponsors. Only individuals who submitted an Interest to Sponsor form in 2020 will be considered. ITAs will be sent via email to randomly selected individuals from the 2020 pool.

If you submitted an Interest to Sponsor in 2020, be sure to check the email address you registered at that time, including your spam or junk folders, to avoid missing an invitation.

IRCC has not reopened the Interest to Sponsor form since 2020 and will continue selecting sponsors from the same pool until further notice.

The PGP allows Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their parents or grandparents to immigrate to Canada as permanent residents. Due to high demand, the process begins with a registration phase, where interested sponsors submit an Interest to Sponsor form. IRCC then randomly selects individuals to receive an ITA.
If selected, applicants must submit their application online through the Permanent Residence Portal or the Representative Permanent Residence Portal.

For those who are not selected to apply under the PGP this round, the Super Visa remains a strong alternative. The Super Visa is a multiple-entry visa valid for up to 10 years, allowing parents and grandparents to stay in Canada for up to five years per visit, with the possibility to extend for up to two additional years.

To be eligible for a Super Visa, the following requirements must be met:

• The Canadian child or grandchild must meet the Minimum Necessary Income (MNI) requirement
• The applicant must have valid medical insurance to cover their stay in Canada
• The applicant must be admissible to Canada

Unlike a regular visitor visa, which typically allows for a six-month stay, the Super Visa is ideal for families seeking longer-term reunification.

For those interested in learning more about past program trends, IRCC has published a detailed report titled “The Parents and Grandparents Program: Intake Report 2020 to 2022” on its official website. This report provides insights into how applications have been processed and accepted in recent years.

Reference:
IRCC Official Announcement – Parents and Grandparents Program: Intake opens in late July 2025